That’s a big question. It is also one your church wants to address. Your community may already align with the values of Generation Z in significant ways. If so, your next step is to point them to spaces in congregational life that show how following Jesus Christ meets their deepest longings.

There’s an expression that goes, “Jesus came to earth to build his kingdom, and all he got was this lousy Church.” I find this poignant because many of my Millennial friends are greatly drawn to the concept of the kingdom of God, but find little hope within the institutional Church.

During seminary I worked for a traditional mainline church who had a vision of reaching young adults. They had a brilliant pastor, young staff, and had just completed a multi-million dollar building expansion. If there was a checklist of helpful qualities to reach millennials, they had a lot of the right boxes.

I arrived at our church last year, excited and eager to relaunch a ministry for young adults in the Kansas City area. I had just completed planting a community of hundreds for a multi-site church, and thought launching a ministry for young adults would be similar.

It isn’t news to report that millennials are leaving organized religion in significant numbers. Church leaders are right to be concerned. A decrease in church participation will not only have implications for congregations but for the social fabric as a whole.